Method, computer program product, central control unit and control system for controlling at least partly automated vehicles in a roadway danger zone, in particular intersections of roadways in road traffic

Abstract

In order to control at least partially automated vehicles in a road danger zone, in particular road junctions in road traffic, in such a way that the vehicles can pass through the road danger zone in flowing traffic without stop/start interruptions, such as those caused e.g. by signalling equipment, traffic lights, the following proposes the following steps: a) each vehicle of the vehicles, on approaching the road danger zone, surrender the power to control the dynamic driving tasks of the vehicle in order to pass through said zone, b) when the vehicles have surrendered vehicle control power, a central control entity generates a digital road danger zone twin, and, as a result of the vehicles having surrendered vehicle control power, vehicle movements of the vehicle are automatically and dynamically controlled in a vehicle-coordinated and collision-free manner in order to pass through the road danger zone.

What is claimed: 
     
       1. A method for controlling at least partly automated vehicles in a roadway danger zone, the method comprising:
 a) each vehicle of the vehicles, upon approaching the roadway danger zone, surrenders a vehicle control power for vehicle control of dynamic driving tasks in order to pass through the roadway danger zone; and 
 b) once the vehicles have surrendered the vehicle control powers, a central control entity generates a digital roadway danger zone twin, by means of which, owing to the vehicle control powers having been surrendered, vehicle movements of a vehicle for passing through the roadway danger zone are controlled automatically, dynamically, in a vehicle-coordinated manner and in a vehicle-collision-free manner. 
 
     
     
       2. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein in advance of approaching the roadway danger zone, the surrender of the vehicle control power is agreed by means of a handshake protocol between each vehicle and the central control entity. 
     
     
       3. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein vehicle trajectory and vehicle speed of each vehicle are ascertained for the generation of the digital roadway danger zone twin for vehicle control owing to the vehicle control powers having been surrendered. 
     
     
       4. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein:
 a) with the generation of the digital roadway danger zone twin, vehicle travel information regarding from and in which travel directions the vehicles are moving toward the roadway danger zone in order to pass through the latter is represented digitally in a grid format having format fields alternating in a checkered fashion, wherein 
 a1) a core zone of the grid format represents the roadway danger zone, 
 a2) first format fields of the grid format, in a manner depending on format field alternation, represent either 
 “WEST→EAST and/or EAST→WEST” vehicle movement directions 
 or 
 “NORTH→SOUTH and/or SOUTH→NORTH” vehicle movement directions 
 with in each case at most one vehicle per first format field, and 
 a3) second format fields of the grid format, in a manner depending on format field alternation, represent either 
 “NORTH→SOUTH and/or SOUTH→NORTH” vehicle movement directions 
 or 
 “WEST→EAST and/or EAST→WEST” vehicle movement directions 
 with in each case at most one vehicle per second format field; and 
 b) each vehicle movement of the vehicle for passing through the roadway danger zone is controlled automatically, dynamically, in a vehicle-coordinated manner and in a vehicle-collision-free manner by virtue of the fact that in a manner corresponding thereto 
 the vehicle in the core zone of the grid format in accordance with a digital movement with a START point and a TARGET point in the grid format, which digital movement is based on a format field alternation, is digitally moved either 
 from a first format field of the first format fields as the START point of the digital movement to a neighboring second format field of the second format fields as the TARGET point of the digital movement, which second format field does not represent any vehicle of the vehicles—that is to say is digitally free for the digital movement—, or 
 from a second format field of the second format fields as the START point of the digital movement to a neighboring first format field of the first format fields as the TARGET point of the digital movement, which first format field does not represent any vehicle of the vehicles—that is to say is digitally free for the digital movement. 
 
     
     
       5. The method as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the vehicle control power is returned to each vehicle by the central control entity, in particular by means of a further handshake protocol, when with a last digital movement in the grid format the vehicle digitally leaves the core zone of the grid format and it has thus passed through the roadway danger zone. 
     
     
       6. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable hardware storage device having computer readable program code stored therein, said program code executable by a processor of a computer system to implement a method for controlling at least partly automated vehicles in a roadway danger zone, in particular intersections of roadways in road traffic, comprising a nonvolatile, readable memory, in which processor-readable control program instructions of a program module that carries out the vehicle control are stored, and a processor, which is connected to the memory and which executes the control program instructions of the program module for vehicle control, wherein the processor:
 a) obtains first control data, with which each vehicle of the vehicles, upon approaching the roadway danger zone, surrenders a vehicle control power for vehicle control of dynamic driving tasks in order to pass through said zone, 
 b) having obtained the first control data, and once the vehicles have surrendered the vehicle control powers, generates a digital roadway danger zone twin, by means of which, owing to the vehicle control powers having been surrendered and by means of second control data, vehicle movements of the vehicle for passing through the roadway danger zone are controllable automatically, dynamically, in a vehicle-coordinated manner and in a vehicle-collision-free manner. 
 
     
     
       7. The computer program product as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the processor and the program module are embodied in such a way that vehicle trajectory and vehicle speed of each vehicle are ascertained for the generation of the digital roadway danger zone twin for vehicle control owing to the vehicle control powers having been surrendered. 
     
     
       8. The computer program product as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the processor and the program module are embodied in such a way that:
 a) with the generation of the digital roadway danger zone twin, vehicle travel information regarding from and in which travel directions the vehicles are moving toward the roadway danger zone in order to pass through the latter is represented digitally in a grid format having format fields alternating in a checkered fashion, wherein 
 a1) a core zone of the grid format represents the roadway danger zone, 
 a2) first format fields of the grid format, in a manner depending on format field alternation, represent either 
 “WEST→EAST and/or EAST→WEST” vehicle movement directions 
 or 
 “NORTH→SOUTH and/or SOUTH→NORTH” vehicle movement directions 
 with in each case at most one vehicle per first format field, and 
 a3) second format fields of the grid format, in a manner depending on format field alternation, represent either 
 “NORTH→SOUTH and/or SOUTH→NORTH” vehicle movement directions 
 or 
 “WEST→EAST and/or EAST→WEST” vehicle movement directions 
 with in each case at most one vehicle per second format field; and 
 b) each vehicle movement of the vehicle for passing through the roadway danger zone is controlled automatically, dynamically, in a vehicle-coordinated manner and in a vehicle-collision-free manner by virtue of the fact that in a manner corresponding thereto 
 the vehicle in the core zone of the grid format in accordance with a digital movement with a START point and a TARGET point in the grid format, which digital movement is based on a format field alternation, is digitally moved either 
 from a first format field of the first format fields as the START point of the digital movement to a neighboring second format field of the second format fields as the TARGET point of the digital movement, which second format field does not represent any vehicle of the vehicles—that is to say is digitally free for the digital movement—, or 
 from a second format field of the second format fields as the START point of the digital movement to a neighboring first format field of the first format fields as the TARGET point of the digital movement, which first format field does not represent any vehicle of the vehicles—that is to say is digitally free for the digital movement. 
 
     
     
       9. The computer program product as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the processor and the program module are embodied in such a way that the vehicle control power is returned to each vehicle by means of third control data when with a last digital movement in the grid format the vehicle digitally leaves the core zone of the grid format and it has thus passed through the roadway danger zone. 
     
     
       10. A central control unit for controlling at least partly automated vehicles in a roadway danger zone, in particular intersections of roadways in road traffic, wherein:
 a control device comprising a computer program product having a nonvolatile, readable memory, in which processor-readable control program instructions of a program module that carries out the vehicle control are stored, and a processor, which is connected to the memory and which executes the control program instructions of the program module for vehicle control, and a control interface, and 
 at least one communication device, which in terms of communication technology is connected to the control device and to the computer program product therein via the control interface or is assigned to the control device and the computer program product therein, wherein the control device and the communication device interact and are embodied with regard to the vehicle control in such a way that 
 a) the communication device receives from each vehicle of the vehicles, when said vehicle is approaching the roadway danger zone in order to pass through the latter, first control data for the purpose of surrender of a vehicle control power for the vehicle control of dynamic driving tasks and forwards said data to the control device, 
 b) the control device, having received the first control data and the vehicle control powers surrendered by the vehicles as a result, generates a digital roadway danger zone twin, by means of which, owing to the vehicle control powers having been surrendered, the control device, by means of second control data, via the communication device, controls vehicle movements of the vehicle for passing through the roadway danger zone automatically, dynamically, in a vehicle-coordinating manner and in a vehicle-collision-free manner. 
 
     
     
       11. The central control unit as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the control device and the communication device interact and are embodied in such a way that in advance, when each vehicle is approaching the roadway danger zone, the surrender of the vehicle control power and the transmission of the message for surrender of the vehicle control power are agreed by means of a handshake protocol between the respective vehicle and the control device via the communication device. 
     
     
       12. The central control unit as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the control device and the communication device interact and are embodied in such a way that the control device ascertains vehicle trajectory and vehicle speed of each vehicle for the generation of the digital roadway danger zone twin for vehicle control owing to the vehicle control powers via the communication device. 
     
     
       13. The central control unit as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein:
 the control device and the communication device interact and are embodied in such a way that the control device 
 a) with the generation of the digital roadway danger zone twin digitally represents vehicle travel information regarding from and in which travel directions the vehicles are moving toward the roadway danger zone in order to pass through the latter in a grid format having format fields alternating in a checkered fashion, wherein 
 a1) a core zone of the grid format represents the roadway danger zone, 
 a2) first format fields of the grid format, in a manner depending on format field alternation, represent either “WEST→EAST and/or EAST→WEST” vehicle movement directions 
 or 
 “NORTH→SOUTH and/or SOUTH→NORTH” vehicle movement directions with in each case at most one vehicle per first format field, and 
 a3) second format fields of the grid format, in a manner depending on format field alternation, represent either “NORTH→SOUTH and/or SOUTH→NORTH” vehicle movement directions 
 or 
 “WEST→EAST and/or EAST→WEST” vehicle movement directions with in each case at most one vehicle per second format field; and 
 b) controls each vehicle movement of the vehicle for passing through the roadway danger zone automatically, dynamically, in a vehicle-coordinated manner and in a vehicle-collision-free manner by virtue of the fact that in a manner corresponding thereto 
 the vehicle in the core zone of the grid format in accordance with a digital movement with a START point and a TARGET point in the grid format, which digital movement is based on a format field alternation, is digitally moved either 
 from a first format field of the first format fields as the START point of the digital movement to a neighboring second format field of the second format fields as the TARGET point of the digital movement, which second format field does not represent any vehicle of the vehicles—that is to say is digitally free for the digital movement—, or 
 from a second format field of the second format fields as the START point of the digital movement to a neighboring first format field of the first format fields as the TARGET point of the digital movement, which first format field does not represent any vehicle of the vehicles—that is to say is digitally free for the digital movement. 
 
     
     
       14. The central control unit as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the control device and the communication device interact and are embodied in such a way that the control device, via the communication device, by means of third control data, returns the vehicle control power to each vehicle, in particular by means of a further handshake protocol, when with a last digital movement in the grid format the vehicle digitally leaves the core zone of the grid format and it has thus passed through the roadway danger zone. 
     
     
       15. The central control unit as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the control device is embodied as an open cloud computing platform. 
     
     
       16. A control system for controlling at least partly automated vehicles in a roadway danger zone, in particular intersections of roadways in road traffic, comprising at least one central control unit containing for the purpose of vehicle control in each case a control device and in each case at least one communication device, in particular in each case as claimed in  claim 10 , and a vehicle communication interface contained in each of the vehicles, which is connected to the communication device for the purpose of vehicle control, which control system is embodied for the purpose of vehicle control in the roadway danger zone.